Solan (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 29 : A suspected grenade-like object was recovered during a police investigation into a fight between two groups in Majra village of Nalagarh in Himachal Pradesh's Solan district on Tuesday, prompting the police to cordon off the area and launch a detailed search with the assistance of a bomb disposal team.
Police have now registered a case under Section 25(1)(a) of the Arms Act and Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act, 1908, in connection with the recovery.
According to police, information was received about a fight between two groups in Majra village, under the jurisdiction of Joghons police post. Based on complaints lodged by both sides, cross-FIRs were registered at Nalagarh police station, and an investigation was initiated.
During the course of the investigation, the police team recovered a grenade-like object near the house of one of the persons involved in the case. The area was immediately secured as a precautionary measure, and nearby residents were evacuated.
With the assistance of the bomb disposal squad, police subsequently conducted a detailed search of the house of the accused and the surrounding area. However, no other suspicious object was found during the search, police said.
The police are examining the nature of the recovered object and other facts connected with the case. The accused and his family members are also being questioned as part of the investigation.
Superintendent of Police, Baddi, Vinod Dhiman said the police were treating the matter seriously and were investigating all aspects of the case.
“A case has been registered under the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. With the assistance of the bomb disposal squad, a thorough search of the accused's house and the surrounding area was conducted, but no other suspicious object was found. The nature of the recovered object and its connection with the case are being examined. The accused and his family members are being questioned, and further legal action will be taken on the basis of facts and evidence emerging during the investigation,” Dhiman said.
The SP also appealed to people not to circulate any unverified information or rumours related to the incident on social media.
“I appeal to people not to spread any unverified information or rumours on social media. Police will issue updates from time to time as facts emerge during the investigation,” Dhiman said.
The recovery has assumed significance for the police in view of an explosion that occurred inside the premises of Nalagarh police station on January 1 this year. The January 1 blast had taken place behind the store room of the police station at around 9.40 am. The explosion damaged the glass panes of the store room as well as windows of a nearby building, although no person was injured.
Following the January blast, the police had sealed the area and called a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team, which collected samples from the spot. Separate teams were also constituted to examine CCTV footage, while the Punjab Police and NIA were contacted in connection with the investigation.
In the January 1 case, an FIR was registered at Nalagarh police station under Sections 324(4) and 125 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and provisions of the Explosive Substances Act, and the case was investigated from various angles.
The January 1 explosion is now being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which has so far arrested eight persons in connection with the case.
Police officials said the present recovery was being investigated independently and that no conclusion would be drawn regarding the nature of the object until its technical examination and other evidence were assessed.
Nalagarh is located in Solan district and comes under the Baddi Police District of Himachal Pradesh.